Claudio Gobbi: Arménie Ville

A Visual Essay on Armenian Architecture

A beautifully produced book documenting Armenian religious architecture spanning 25 countries and 1500 years. You won't know how much you needed this book until you see it.

Since 2007, Claudio Gobbi (born 1971) has been systematically documenting Armenian religious architecture from the Middle Ages to the present. Besides the photographers own photographs, the series, titled Arménie Ville, also comprises found images from archives, pictures from the Internet and from commissioned artists.Spanning more than 25 countries from Western Europe to the Caucasus, the Berlin-based Italian photographer traces the specific features of sacral Armenian architecture and the captivating simplicity of its forms, which have remained unchanged for more than 1,500 years. Investigating the concepts of authorship, serialization and representation, Gobbi carries on his quest for key images of Armenian cultures and in the process addresses themes of time, memory, migration and the cultural legacy of a people.

THOMAS EVANS | DATE 3/17/2017

Claudio Gobbi's Arménie Ville was one of the finest and most revelatory photobooks of the past yearrevelatory for both content (the extraordinary designs and rich heritage of Armenian church architecture) and conception (its organization of the material). It's also a beautifully designed publication, as you'll see from the photographs below.From 2007 to 2016, visiting more than 25 countries, Gobbi documented Armenian religious architecture from the Middle Ages to the present. Besides the photographer's own photographs, the series also includes images from archives, pictures from the Internet and from commissioned artists. We interviewed him about the making of the book.
continue to blog

Since 2007, Claudio Gobbi (born 1971) has been systematically documenting Armenian religious architecture from the Middle Ages to the present. Besides the photographers own photographs, the series, titled Arménie Ville, also comprises found images from archives, pictures from the Internet and from commissioned artists.

Spanning more than 25 countries from Western Europe to the Caucasus, the Berlin-based Italian photographer traces the specific features of sacral Armenian architecture and the captivating simplicity of its forms, which have remained unchanged for more than 1,500 years. Investigating the concepts of authorship, serialization and representation, Gobbi carries on his quest for key images of Armenian cultures and in the process addresses themes of time, memory, migration and the cultural legacy of a people.